Tuesday, May 17, 2005

[Manchester_United_2004] Digest Number 746

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good!http://us.click.yahoo.com/2xaSZB/SOnJAA/Y3ZIAA/GtUolB/TM--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

There are 3 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Crying Foul in Manchester...article from the New York Times From: Dee <cinderella22382@yahoo.com> 2. Re: WAR DECLARED ON GLAZER-MEC, RED ARMY STATEMENT From: simer narulla <re_mis@yahoo.com.sg> 3. lets talk football From: <saikatbose06@imi.edu>

Message: 1 Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 18:18:17 -0700 (PDT) From: Dee <cinderella22382@yahoo.com>Subject: Crying Foul in Manchester...article from the New York Times

Op-Ed ContributorCrying Foul in Manchester

By GEOFFREY WHEATCROFT Published: May 16, 2005

Bath, England

IF not quite matching the millions who turned out here to oppose the invasion of Iraq, the huge crowds in Manchester last week were impressive enough. They were protesting another invasion, by Malcolm Glazer, a real estate and investment magnate, who had finally achieved his ambition of acquiring the Manchester United soccer club for a cool $1.5 billion or thereabouts. Forum: Op-Ed Contributors

Outside Old Trafford, the team's stadium, fans carried banners reading "Not for $ale." One man pointed to the statue of Sir Matt Busby, the most famous manager of this most famous soccer club, who "will be turning in his grave tonight." Glazer must have been aware that his attentions were unwelcome, but he may not quite realize the importance of this team, a national institution as well as a flag-bearer for its city.

Although Manchester has never been on the tourist trail, it has a notable history. It was here, after all, that the first capitalist industrial revolution erupted, with Engels on hand to show it to his friend Marx. Under its self-confident burghers, the city gave its name to a species of political economy that conquered the world: the competitive free-market principles of the Manchester school.

A scarcely less important English contribution to humanity is team sports - above all, soccer. And here Manchester United occupies an honored spot. The club began life as a "works team" - with factory hands playing in their spare time - and then turned professional and went on to conquer every height. What's more, its story has been more than usually freighted with sentiment.

For an Englishman my age, the date Feb. 6, 1958, is still a knife in the heart. On that day, Busby's fine young team, which had been playing brilliantly at home and in the new European Cup competition, was flying home from a game against Red Star Belgrade. After stopping to refuel in Munich, the plane carrying "Busby's babes," as the newspapers called them, tried to take off in a snowstorm, and crashed. Eight players were killed. Even now the names Roger Byrne, Duncan Edwards and Liam Whelan can bring a tear to aging cheeks.

Ten years later, in 1968, the emotional charge was almost overwhelming when the Manchester United team Busby had rebuilt became the first English club to win the European Cup. A superb team it was, with Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and, almost supreme among them, George Best, as dazzling as he was self-destructive.

If Glazer is sitting in Florida, wondering about the ferocious hostility in Manchester, he would do well to review this history. As George Orwell once observed, far from stimulating the brotherhood of man, "sport is an unfailing cause of ill will."

There was surely a tradition of jingoist xenophobia in English soccer, memorably expressed by Vincent Mulchrone, a columnist for The Daily Mail, on the morning England was to play West Germany in the 1966 World Cup. "West Germany may beat us at our national sport today, but that would be only fair," he wrote. "We beat them twice at theirs."

Now the game here cannot really be called nativist anymore, when such a high proportion of players and managers are foreign. Several years ago Chelsea made a small piece of history as the first club in the English league to start a game without a single English player on the field.

And Chelsea now has a Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, who arrived with an immense fortune acquired in the oil business, ready to buy the club and to buy success, as he has duly done: Chelsea has just won its first league title in 50 years.

Then again, Abramovich does love the game and is seen cheering at every match. To anyone's knowledge, Glazer has never set foot at Old Trafford (now is most definitely not the moment for him to try), and there is little to suggest that he knows much about soccer.

He may have picked up the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whoever they may be, and taken them to the Super Bowl, but Manchester United is already a hugely successful and profitable club, largely from merchandizing and from its popularity in Asia. The club has one fanzine that sells 35,000 copies a month in Thailand; games from Old Trafford are watched live in China by more people than inhabit the British Isles; and Real Madrid bought David Beckham from Manchester United as much for his image rights in Japan as for his knack of bending the ball.

To add insult to injury, up to $500 million of the money Glazer is using for the purchase is borrowed against the assets of the debt-free club itself, giving fresh meaning to leverage.

True to his own Manchester-school or laissez-faire principles, Prime Minister Tony Blair has kept out of the way: who owns a soccer club is for the market to decide, the government says. But Glazer has not reckoned with the emotions this particular transaction has aroused, and threatened boycotts by fans could still have a sobering effect.

Then again, British capital has made deep inroads in American business recently. Maybe it's time some of our chaps bought into the Dallas Cowboys.

---------------------------------Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online & more. Check it out!

some ppl are just too fucking childish.i wish i could slap the fella who wrote this, cut the crap, fuckface.

mec_red_army <mec_red_army@yahoo.com> wrote:STATEMENT FROM RED ARMY

Today we the RED ARMY are supporters without a club and are called todefend our beloved history of Manchester United from Glazer and hisassociates. Our grief has turned to anger, and our anger has to bereleased. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justiceto our enemies, justice will be done.

On May 12, 2005, enemies of Red Army committed an act of war againstus. The Glazer Family have known wars of soughts -- but for the past2 years, they have been wars of words and peaceful protests, exceptfor the one that has now begun. The Glazer family have known thecasualties of war, (Tampa Bay Season Ticket Holders). Here in UnitedKingdom we will not allow the hated Leprechaun to have a peacefulday, while him, his family and associates conduct their greedybusiness in our home of Old Trafford, a great stadium that has beenerected to house our following and built with our money and support.In the world of business never before have thousands of civiliansconducted revenge on a single business and lost. All of this wasbrought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world,a world where our club itself is no longer our own club, ManchesterUnited is temporary no longer. Until the day we have our Clubreturned to us it shall be known as Glazer United.Malcolm Glazer is to United fans what Adolph Hitler was to Europe.The darkest of shadows now cast over Old Trafford, the once richestclub in the world, a club of winning championships and seekingsuccess now banished to HELL with Satan at the helm. His goal is toreap as much income as possible, regardless of where and how it issought.Today the RED ARMY make the following requirements of the Glazerfamily: Deliver our club back to us, reinstate all that was before.Release all your shares back to the market. Protect yourself andyour family as well as your associates and workers. Closeimmediately all ties with Manchester United and permanently stay awayfrom Manchester United and all of its business. If you are willingto abide with our terms, then every employee at Old Trafford and theCarrington training camp will remain unharmed. In the meantime untilour requirements are met, it has been considered that all youremployees and their families are now our enemies. Any person, group,trust, organisation, business, sponsor or affiliate who in theirsupport or structure, have to appropriate any business with you onthe day to day running of Glazer United are now deemed enemies of theRED ARMY.These requirements are not open to negotiation or discussion. TheGlazer family must act, and act immediately. They will hand back ourManchester United, or they will share in their fate.

We also want to speak today directly to all Manchester UnitedSupporters throughout the world. We welcome and respect your supportfrom all the millions of RED ARMY followers, and by thousands more incountries that have supported Manchester United via television thatwe count as friends. We already have the support of our followingfrom Norway, Arabia, South Africa to China, and Australia toArgentina. Our support has been good and peaceful, and for those whocommit to our cause, to execute the removal of the evil Glazer familyfrom Manchester are welcome to unleash their frustations and venttheir anger for the Cause. The Irish duo of Magnus and Mangier aretraitors to our faith, once trying to hijack United themselves, thento commit deceit, so treacherous an act that they have committed andis therefore deemed punishable. As for all others who sold out toGlazer you have made yourself a target for punishment. All of yourdaily interests and social activities are now under scrutiny and aremarked to be attacked as you are now our enemy. We shall leave nostone unturned until these traitors are left to burn in Hell.

The RED ARMY would like to make it clear; it is NOT our many Americanfriends, which have become our enemy. For we have widespread supportthroughout America in our war on Glazer. Our enemy is the radicalnetwork of Glazer and his associates, and every organisation that hasassisted him in acquiring our club.Our war on Glazer begins today, but it does not end overnight. Itwill not end until every piece of acquisition of Manchester United ishanded back to the RED ARMY and Glazer defeated.

People are asking, why do we hate him? We hate what we see righthere as a capitalist venture for an individual that will ruin theEnglish game of football not only for Manchester United but forsmaller clubs in the lower leagues. Their leaders are self-appointedand not democratically elected, not allowing any input or a voicefrom the supporters The Glazer family hate the freedom of speech,you only have to ask the Season Ticket Holders of Tampa BayBuccaneers. Malcolm Glazer took them to court and sued them. Canyou imagine a European football club taking its own fan base tocourt? Our religion of United, our freedom of speech, our right toassemble and disagree with the board of directors is banished foreveruntil we rid Manchester United of the Glazer family.

People are asking: How will we fight and win this war? We willdirect every resource at our command, every means of diplomacy, andevery tool of intelligence, every instrument of law, every financialinfluence, and every necessary weapon of war, to the disruption andto the defeat of the Glazer network.This war will not be like the war of words and protest that havetaken place in the past. We also believe it will not be a swiftconclusion. In Manchester, the uprising has begun. This will moveto Cardiff and other major cities in England; we will take this warto the capital cities of Europe. Glazer is counting on a majorfinancial income from European sources which will be one of our mainobjectives. We are willing to allow Glazer United to be removed fromChampions League football. Once this objective is successful,sponsorships will begin to dry and wither. All current sponsors,NIKE, Vodafone, Budweiser, Ladbrokes, Endsleigh Insurance, DimensionData, PEPSI, Wilkinson Sword, AUDI, Fuji Film, and Century Radio arenow legitimate targets of the RED ARMY. Let this be a warning to anyother potential sponsor for Glazer United. Any person promoting orprofiting from Glazer United will also be deemed the enemy and leavethemselves open to attack. There will also include impromptu raidson people entering Old Trafford to support Glazer United. Theseraids though will only serve as a re education so that these peopleare aware of the RED ARMY cause. Other legitimate targets includeall staff and employees and their families of Old Trafford, suppliersand their employees and families. This will also include any mediaentering Old Trafford.

IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN GOOD HEALTH, DO NOT BE ASSOCIATED, CONNECTEDOR WORK FOR GLAZER UNITED.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolatedstrikes. Glazer United should not expect one battle, but a lengthycampaign, unlike any other that has been known in the world ofsport. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covertoperations, secret even in success. We will starve Glazer offunding, turn them one against another, drive them from Old Traffordback to Florida, until there is no refuge. In addition, we willpursue associates of Glazer and those that sold us down the riverthat provided a path for Glazer to enter Manchester. Everysupporter, in every region, in every nation around the World now hasa decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with theGlazer. From this day forward, any person or business thatcontinues to support Glazer United will be regarded by the RED ARMYas a hostile.

Our followers have been put on notice: That we are not immune fromattack. We will take defensive measures against Glazer to protectour following. Today, 374 members of the MEC-RED ARMY have agreed inprincipal to the agreement to take up their stance and begin thewar. These efforts are being coordinated at the highest level. Aswell as individual level as to confuse the authorities as much aspossible.These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat Glazer as athreat to our history and future of Manchester United is to stop him,eliminate him, and destroy him while he has a grip on ManchesterUnited.

What is at stake is not just Manchester United's future. The wholefuture of the English football is at risk. This is civilization'sfight against a greedy man, he is not entering Manchester as a herosaving a club from extinction; he cannot do what Manchester Unitedwas not doing already. He can only be here for one reason and thatis to destroy the good name of English football. Does this man thinkthat this is the best way to import soccer into America? He is sowrong; the American culture does not accept our game of football on ascale in comparison to their own sports of baseball and such likes.

We ask every football fan to join us. We will ask, and we will need,the help of the real united fans from across the world. The RED ARMYis grateful that many of you here in the UK and many internationallyorganised have already responded, with sympathy and with support.With the conductance to not purchasing the merchandise associatedwith Glazer United or other products of these companies, Glazer shallfeel the financial pressure, and we estimate that the indicators willshow this by January 2006.

Supporters are asking: What is expected of us? We only ask that youlive your lives, and be ready to fight. We know many supporters havefears today, and we ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the faceof a continuing menace of Malcolm Glazer. We ask you to uphold thevalues of the true and historical United fan, and remember why somany have been to Old Trafford in our glorious history. We are in afight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live bythem. Only our enemies should be singled out for unfair treatment orunkind words because of their unethical business dealing with theGlazer family and the background to this takeover. Companies andemployees such as J P Morgan, N M Rothschild, to name a few areall legitimate targets. We will not forget this wound to our clubor those who inflicted it. We will not yield; we will not rest; wewill not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security forthe RED ARMY to return home to a Glazer free Old Trafford.

It is our hope that in the months, years ahead, that life will returnto normal. When our own VE Day arrives we will go back to our homeof Old Trafford and our Saturday routines, and that is good. Evengrief recedes with time and grace. But our resolve must not pass.Each of us will remember what happened that day the 12th May, and towhom it happened. We'll remember the moment the news came, where wewere and what we were doing. Some will remember an image of fire, orof news that felt like death. Some will carry memories of a game anda roaring voice gone forever.

Today we thank our fellow RED ARMY followers for what you havealready done and for what you will do. To the ladies and gentlemenof the formerly Manchester United, we thank you, for yourrepresentations and information that has put us in good stead for ourWar with Glazer UnitedThe course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome iscertain. For freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always beenat war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

And, finally, please continue praying that one day soon Glazer andhis family will leave Manchester and our great country. Prayer hascomforted us in sorrow, and will help strengthen us for the journeyahead.

giggs and howard have been agreed to a 2 yr extension to their contractglazer has shown interest in becham ..Sir Alex said he has no problemswith beckham returning...but real madrid are presently not interested

there are rumours that figo wants to join manchester united...i doubt howgood a buy will he be..also Sir Alex prefers younger players...so figo isnot a good option

henry out of FA finals...well now the arsenal fans will keep shouting welost coz henry was not there...poor shitty craps..they dont realise theycan only dream about beating us...